Cal Thomas: Soft on crime, tough on families

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Thursday April 4th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. Up next: WORLD commentator Cal Thomas on the recent murder of a New York City police officer.

CAL THOMAS: Another day, another dead police officer, another grieving widow.

With 136 cops killed in the line of duty in 2023, the familiarity of these incidents should breed more than contempt. Instead, we get meaningless condemnations from politicians who do not protect the public. Too many of them release career criminals, some of whom commit new crimes, including the murder of cops.

On March 25th, New York City cop  was gunned down by a criminal with a lengthy rap sheet. Diller leaves behind a wife and a 1-year-old son. During the eulogy, Diller’s widow, Stephanie, asked this question:

DILLER: How many more police officers and how many more families have to make the ultimate sacrifice before we start protecting them? I don’t wish this kind of pain on anyone. Jonathan lived his life doing good for people and it’s now time for people to do good for all the officers he represents.

In 2022, the widow of slain NYPD Detective Jason Rivera spoke during his memorial service. She said, “The system continues to fail us. We are not safe anymore. Not even the members of the service.”

Who is responsible for “the system”? It’s not only the people mishandling it, though they deserve plenty of blame. System members include New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bragg seems more concerned with “getting” Donald Trump rather than keeping dangerous criminals off the streets so New Yorkers feel safe and protected.

Other big cities with “woke” prosecutors are experiencing similar tragedies and disrespect for law enforcement. In Los Angeles, George Gascon is another failed DA who regularly gives get-out-of-jail-free cards to violent criminals. There are others. As the Heritage Foundation and other sources document, some of their campaigns were financed by billionaire lefty George Soros. Soros seems to have bought the view that criminals are unfortunates who haven’t had good breaks in life. Most people who might be said to have had bad breaks have not turned to crime, so that is a weak argument.

Those ultimately responsible are people who vote for governors and district attorneys who believe that criminals are victims and deserve second, third, even fourth chances.

What are voters thinking, especially when they have the power to change things by voting for law-and-order candidates? If Republican Lee Zeldin had won the last New York governor’s race, it is likely he would have worked to oust Bragg and others who coddle criminals. Too many people vote for a party label and not the policies of the candidate best positioned to fight crime. If voters don’t like what is happening, they should try something else. Otherwise, the blame is on them.

Women like Stephanie Diller should not be widows. Their husbands should be home with them and their children. They might not be widows if the criminals were in jail and the streets (and subways) were safe again.

Every Republican should make replacing soft-on-crime prosecutors, mayors, and governors a top issue in the November election. If not, expect more widows and fatherless children.

I’m Cal Thomas.

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